So, as I mentioned before, this fic is not dead. Just sleeping... since November. Still, I am sorry for the 6 month break but I really feel like I needed it. Now, I can finally finished what I started.

Hope the wait was worth, guys. Sorry again.

"Cook? Can you hear me?"

The swordsman's voice floated somewhere up above. Sanji groaned in pain and tried unsuccessfully to recall the fragmented conversation he had tried to maintain with Zoro since they started their shambling trip back to Stillwater. He vaguely remembered arguing about something pointless until the dull pain in his head overtook his senses and the gray sand and sky blurred together. Eventually, his companion's voice became a droning hum in the background punctuated only by random cries of gulls. Feeling his muscles giving out, he pushed on, trying not to think of the numbness in his feet. Being carried into the village like a child was not quite the triumphant entrance he had imagined.

"Yeah..." The answer came accompanied by an involuntary cough and a metallic taste in his mouth. "What was that? Speak up."

The swordsman's fingers dug into his left shoulder and gave him a vigorous shake. It took Sanji a couple of seconds to notice they had finally stopped walking.

"Are you listening to me, dartbrow? I said we're here."

"What…?"

Sanji raised his head, and drew in a sharp breath, temporarily blinded by the bright morning sun. The gray curtain that had fallen over him was slowly beginning to lift, replaced by vague shadows and blotches of color. He could feel the smell of wet leaves and smoke wafting through the air, a welcome change from the strong sea breeze. He blinked and squinted through the mist clouding his vision, finally becoming aware of their surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the noise.

It was a loud, relentless river of ecstatic screams, mad laughter and uncontrolled weeping that blended into a meaningless cacophony in his ears. It came from every window, every open door and every corner of the little town. He felt the cobblestones shaking slightly as the shadows around him became the crowd gathering in the streets. A young woman darted by, almost knocking the swordsman down, followed by a couple of little boys and an elderly man grasping a long, bamboo cane. Sanji could not make out what they were talking about, but a single word reached his ears several times.

Alive.

The second thing he noticed was the lack of statues.

The little kid hugging the library wall that had upset Nami so much was gone, his silhouette, a pristine white against the graying stone. . A quick look around confirmed that all the other figures had disappeared as well, even though the people still swerved awkwardly when they ran, trying to avoid colliding with something no longer there. A thin white material similar to broken eggshells cracked under his feet when he took a hesitant step forward.

Nobody seemed aware of their presence.

For a while, Sanji stood still, allowing the tide of people to pass him by. When they were gone, he let out a long, exhausted sigh and leaned away from Zoro.

"Well, so much for the welcoming committee." He rested his back against a stone pillar and cracked his neck, feeling little jolts of pain run down his spine. "Do you see Luffy and the others anywhere?"

Zoro rolled his eyes and threw him a condescending snicker.

"Don't tell me you were expecting a parade or something like that?"

"A decent bed and a shower would have been nice." Sanji's fingers tapped on his knee, his eyes still darting around, trying to locate the Straw Hats among the crowd. "And I would kill for a cigarette right about now."

"The first two can be arranged. The third one might be a bit complicated."

Sanji spun around to find himself staring into the piercing eyes of Solomon Winter. The mayor of Stillwater was standing next to the heavy library door, looking like sleep had eluded him for most of the night and the whole morning. Even the genuinely happy smile seemed worn out and almost etched on his tired visage. Zoro opened his mouth but the man seemed to sense the unspoken question on his mind and nodded reassuringly.

"Your friends are okay. They are looking for you." His smile grew wider at the swordsman's relieved sigh. "I never thought I would live to see this day. Some divine providence must have sent you here."

Zoro let out a dismissive chuckle and readjusted his swords, carefully inspecting the sheaths for damage.

"I think divine providence would have found someone better."

Solomon shook his head at the swordsman's sarcastic expression.

"It is not always easy to be an instrument of God." Zoro just stretched his arms and continued to check his weapons carefully ignoring the older man. "We will have a lot to talk about tonight. Everyone here should know that you've done for…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes slowly focused on the long silver chain still hanging loosely from Zoro's neck.

"Where did you get that?"

Zoro didn't answer. His gray eyes veered in Sanji's direction deflecting the task onto him.

"From Mir…"

Sanji stopped himself half-way through feeling like he had just stepped on a landmine. The change in the mayor's demeanor had taken him completely by surprise. The happy, relaxed smile fled from his face, replaced by a stern mask as he pointed towards the relic with a grave expression.

"I mean…"

Sanji found himself stuttering, as a flare of righteous anger lit up the old man's eyes. His mind was racing desperately to come up with an excuse to change the subject, but he could tell that Solomon had already figured out his answer anyway. In his mind, he cursed. The last thing he was looking for right now was another confrontation.

A loud, unmistakable yell tore through the crowd.

It was accompanied by a pair of long rubbery arms that stretched from somewhere on the other side of the street. The hands grabbed a nearby bench and propelled a wiry, black haired shadow with the biggest grin Sanji had ever seen. Luffy ricocheted against a couple of walls, swooshed under a big stone arch and slammed into Zoro laughing like a maniac all the way through. Sanji winced as the swordsman's muffled groan reached his ears. Being on the other side of Luffy's affections could be painful even when you were healthy and unhurt.

He looked at Solomon again whose steely eyes were staring directly at him now.

"Is that monster gone?"

The anger in his voice had disappeared, but Sanji could still feel the tension in every word. He nodded.

"Yes, gone forever. He won't be bothering you anymore."

"Do you swear?"

The mayor shifted his gaze to the swordsman, still wrapped in Luffy's bear hug a couple of steps away. Sanji got the uneasy feeling that Miriam might have left something out of her description when she handed him the silver chain. He stepped forward, making the watery eyes focus on him again.

"I swear on my life."

Solomon's expression softened a bit. Finally, he gave him a slight nod and bowed.

"Stillwater owes you all a great debt. Now I must return to my duties. There's still much to do." He headed towards the library but his hand lingered on the doorknob as he turned to Sanji once more. "I would return that chain as soon as possible if I were you. People might get… upset if they notice it missing."

"I will." Sanji hesitated for a second. "As for the person that gave it to me…"

Solomon just shook his head.

"I don't claim to know who gave it to you. Just return it as promptly as possible and we won't mention it again."

Sanji felt his eyes widen a bit he nodded in response.

"I will, I promise."

Solomon bowed one more time and disappeared behind the library door. Sanji had exactly one second to brace himself before Luffy's arms wrapped around him and dragged him away as well.

"So, what happened to you two exactly?"

The question was voiced in a calm, serious tone that did not fit the reindeer doctor at all. Sanji narrowed his eyes under the triple layer of bandages covering his head. Chopper had been his usual, excitable self when he managed to pull Luffy away from them. He had fussed over them like a mother, prattling happily, but after a while, he turned quiet and almost somber. The rest of the Straw Hats gathered in the room seemed to regard him with pity, except Luffy who just watched his furry hands work on Sanji and the swordsman with a look of absolute confidence. Robin just calmly used her talent to hand him things when he needed them and to be as helpful as possible.

Sanji sighed, feeling the weight of the recent events pushing him over the edge of consciousness. The initial happiness of their reunion had been elating, but brief like a firework in the night. After hugging the life out of every member of the crew and lingering a bit longer on Nami and Robin, Chopper had insisted on getting them both checked out at the local clinic, but when he saw the crowds of people gathering around it, he quickly decided to build his own makeshift infirmary in Solomon's mansion. It was on their way there when Sanji realized that the town had divided itself into small groups each talking among one another in increasingly more hushed tones. The people gathered around the hospital, however, almost didn't speak at all. Their faces showed absolute exhaustion and a glimmer of hope. Some were clutching religious symbols, their lips murmuring something unintelligible. For a moment, Sanji though they looked exactly like someone waiting for a loved one to come out of a complicated medical procedure.

"Sanji?"

Nami's voice took him out of his musings. She and Usopp were sharing a small wooden bench next to a bed on which the green-haired swordsman had been sleeping soundly for the last ten minutes. Her brown eyes scrutinized his face with concern and he felt his voice coming back to him. Nami was aware of her power and she used it well. He knew he would eventually tell her everything. He always ended up telling her everything. But maybe not right now.

"It's a long story, really. I would rather tell it when my brain stops leaking out of my ears." He snickered as Chopper quickly turned his head to the side, carefully inspecting the ear canals. "I was joking. What about you guys? You and Robin okay?"

The archaeologist on the other side of the room turned around and nodded with a polite smile.

"We're fine. We weren't even frozen for that long. And Chopper has been taking good care of us."

The blush over the reindeer's furry face spread all the way to his ears as he started quickly assuring Robin that she was being too kind in his usual rude fashion. On his side of the bench, Usopp rolled his eyes and flung a rubber band towards Sanji's arm.

"I'm fine too. Glad you care and all."

"Of course you're fine! You're the invincible captain Usopp, tamer of the beast with a thousand mouths or whatever!" Sanji flashed him a bright grin. "Hell, I have to learn a few tricks from him myself. They might come in handy in the future."

"Being a kiss-ass won't help you one bit, you know." The marksman pinched the bridge of his nose, still sulking slightly. "But seriously, we seem to be in much better shape than you guys. Or the rest of the island for that matter."

The comment made a shadow cross Chopper's face. Even Luffy, rocking happily on his chair, stopped. Sanji felt a cold hand clutch at his insides.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with the other people?"

Nami averted her eyes and turned to Usopp who ignored her silent plea for help. Their captain shrugged and looked at Chopper who let out a deep sigh and hung his head.

"Well, I don't know myself. It's just… shock, I guess. Some of them are missing memories, some are complete amnesiacs. Some of them are just plain catatonic." He paused, as if trying to collect himself and continued. "It's hard to tell whether it's physical or not, most of them won't even respond to questions. They'll need therapy and medical help that is beyond my area of expertise. I tried to…"

His voice hitched in his throat. Robin crouched beside him, her long fingers sinking affectionately into the brown fur.

"You did everything you could. You cannot ask anything more of yourself."

"It still feels like I'm useless." The little reindeer kept his eyes fixed on the floor gritting his teeth. "It's like I'm only able to patch up you guys. I want to help all of them, but they're just so many. And I don't know what to do…"

Luffy's arm stretched from across the room and grabbed Chopper's head, turning the reindeer doctor towards him. His face bore a bright, reassuring smile.

"You've been helping around in that hospital the whole night. They have other doctors who can take it from there." He beamed even wider, his dark eyes traveling towards the sleeping swordsman. "I wish I could have been there to help you guys. You wouldn't have been banged up so hard if I was around."

Sanji felt unease creep into him at Luffy's eager expression. For a moment, he found himself wondering if Luffy would have been able to forgive Aron Fellman had he been in his place.

"You tend to hog all the action, captain. Leave something for the rest of us." Sanji turned towards Zoro, who seemed to be so far out, he wasn't even snoring. "What about him? How is he doing?"

Chopper nodded.

"That spirit messed him up pretty badly, but it's nothing some bed rest and medication won't fix. Now stop fidgeting and follow the light."

He turned to Sanji and tilted his head backwards. A small pen-like flashlight appeared in his hooves and a second later, a thin yellow beam hit his right eye. He heard the reindeer click his tongue disapprovingly as he squirmed and tried to turn away.

"You should be sleeping too, by the way." Chopper gave his eyes one last look and clicked the flashlight off. "It's the only way to assure you will stay put and rest, in my experience."

Sanji fell silent for a while, his eyes still hovering on the bandages on Zoro's head and arm. When he spoke again, he felt exhaustion wash over him again.

"It's funny; all I could think when walking back here is how I would sleep for a week. And now my eyes just won't close."

"I have something that can help, if you want it."

He pointed to his medical bag hanging on a nearby chair. Sanji shook his head vehemently.

"No, no drugs, they just make it worse. I'll sleep when it comes to me."

Chopper sighed and went back to readjusting his bandages.

"All right, it's your decision. Just try to take it easy. I'm still not sure how much damage was done to your ears and eyes." His hooves prodded his temples and Sanji bit his lip as a small jolt of pain rushed through his head. "Seriously, what did that thing do to you?"

"Turn me inside out, I think. Is there a medical term for that?"

"I doubt it."

Chopper was about to add something else, but stopped half-way through at the sound of footsteps near the door. Sanji flung back a loose bandage hanging over his face and looked towards the entrance where a familiar face framed by two long braids stared in embarrassment at the five pairs of eyes examining her.

"Sorry, I thought you were alone." Miriam's fingers curled tightly around a big steaming mug in her hands. "I'll come back later."

"No wait! You don't have to…" Sanji felt the five pairs of eyes slowly focusing on him instead and wondered how far the crew's overactive imagination was going. "Is this about the relic? Has Solomon…?"

Miriam's brown eyes widened in confusion. Sanji felt a sigh of relief escape his lips.

"No, nothing like that. I just… well… I wanted to."

She stammered and looked at the crew again. Robin, who had been a silent observer in the background, rose from her chair and beckoned Luffy closer.

"Come on, let's go see if we can help outside. I'm sure you have things to talk about."

Miriam nodded gratefully at the archaeologist, but remained where she stood, waiting for the Straw Hats to leave the room. Usopp's eyes widened slightly as he walked by and Sanji did his best to refrain from glaring daggers at him. As far as he was concerned, anger was a clear admission of guilt.

"Chopper said take it easy, remember?"

The marksman's voice was barely a whisper, but it still made Sanji jab a knee under his ribs.

"Shut up! What the hell are you implying?"

"Nothing, I'm just messing with you." Usopp rubbed his side and gave him a hurt look. "Get better soon, I'll see you guys at tonight's celebration. I'm having Cocoyashi flashbacks already."

He winked at him and trotted out of the room. Miriam's eyes followed him as he ran down the hall screaming for the rest of the crew to wait.

"They really are quite an interesting bunch, aren't they?"

Her voice had lost that nervous ring and sounded warm again, even if slightly tired. Sanji chuckled and shook his head.

"I would not have them any other way. You wanted to talk to me?"

She nodded, looking at Zoro's sleeping form behind him.

"Are you strong enough to walk?"

Sanji rested his feet on the wooden floor, tentatively shifting his weight from one foot to another. Finally, he stood up and picked up his shoes from under the bench.

"Sure, let's go to the garden. I could do with some fresh air."

I've missed you reviews in these 6 months. I received a couple even when I was on hiatus and I squeed over every single one. So remember to keep your local fanfic writer happy. Even if she is a lazy slob like me. :)

Next and last chapter will drop next month. Even if it kills me. Which it probably won't since it's been rolling around my head ever since I started this fic.

Thanks to everyone still sticking with this story. It really means a lot after all ths time.